AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) vs Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?
As of 2026-08-03, ABBV is overvalued at $251, with a DCF intrinsic value of $178 and a margin of safety of -41%. ITW is overvalued at $287, with an intrinsic value of $201 and a margin of safety of -43%. Of the two, ABBV has the wider margin of safety.
Rewards
- ★AbbVie Inc. has maintained ROIC above 10% for 4 consecutive years, suggesting solid business economics.
- ★Gross margin of 72.8% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
- ★AbbVie Inc. scores 82/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with reinvestment efficiency as the strongest competitive dimension.
- ★Illinois Tool Works Inc. has maintained ROIC above 15% for 4 consecutive years, indicating a durable competitive advantage.
- ★Illinois Tool Works Inc. scores 95/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with roic consistency as the strongest competitive dimension.
- ★Free cash flow has grown at a 11.8% CAGR over the past 4 years, demonstrating strong earnings power growth.
Risks
- ⚠Buybacks have been poorly timed — 3 out of 4 years involved repurchases at relatively expensive valuations.
- ⚠Free cash flow has declined at a 9.8% CAGR over the past 4 years — a concerning trend.
- ⚠Each dollar of retained earnings has produced only $0.08 of earning power — shareholders may have been better served by dividends.
- ⚠PEG ratio of 2.86 indicates the stock is expensive relative to its expected growth — the market may be pricing in more growth than analysts project.
- ⚠High leverage (3.06x net debt/equity) combined with thin interest coverage (-1.0x) poses financial risk.
Key Valuation Metrics
Learn more →Historical Fundamentals
Learn more →Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.
Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.
Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.
$1 Retained Earnings Test
Learn more →> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis
Learn more →Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth
Learn more →Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.
Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.
Economic Moat Score
Learn more →Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. Reinvestment Efficiency is the standout factor.
Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. ROIC Consistency is the standout factor.
Forensic Accounting
Learn more →M-Score Trend
M-Score Trend
Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
Ownership Breakdown
Learn more →High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
Insider Buying Activity
Learn more →Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.
Insider Selling Activity
Learn more →Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.
🎭 Mr. Market's Mood
Learn more →"Market is optimistic — be cautious and ensure you have a margin of safety"
"Market is optimistic — be cautious and ensure you have a margin of safety"
Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
⚖️ Buffett Signal
Learn more →The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.
The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.
Frequently Asked Questions: ABBV vs ITW
Is AbbVie Inc. or Illinois Tool Works Inc. more undervalued in 2026?▼
Based on our discounted cash flow model, ABBV trades at a -40.7% margin of safety (intrinsic value $178 vs. price $251), compared to ITW's -42.9% margin of safety (intrinsic $201 vs. $287).
Which stock has a wider economic moat, AbbVie Inc. or Illinois Tool Works Inc.?▼
ITW scores 95/100 (Wide moat), while ABBV scores 82/100 (Wide moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.
Is AbbVie Inc. in financial distress?▼
ABBV's Altman Z-Score of 2.4 places it in the Grey zone, signaling elevated bankruptcy risk. ITW scores 7.8 (Safe zone). The Altman Z-Score is a five-factor model that predicts insolvency within two years; scores below 1.81 indicate significant distress.
Which stock has higher return on invested capital, AbbVie Inc. or Illinois Tool Works Inc.?▼
ABBV earns 27.6% ROIC versus ITW's 27.6%. A higher ROIC means the company generates more profit per dollar of capital employed, a hallmark of durable competitive advantage in Buffett-style analysis.
Which dividend is safer, AbbVie Inc.'s or Illinois Tool Works Inc.'s?▼
ITW's dividend earns a safety score of 69/100 (Safe), compared to ABBV's 39/100 (Unsafe). ITW has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.